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Iskenderun's 15 minutes
of fame came with its cameo appearance
in the movie Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade, but
in fact this is quite a historic
port.
Originally called Alexandretta,
Iskenderun (eess-KEHN-deh-roon, pop.
175,000), at the far end of the Turkish Mediterranean
coast, was founded by Alexander
the Great (Büyük
Iskender in Turkish) as a port.
It's still an important port today
(map).
But unless you're passing through
by ship, there's little to detain you,
although the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha
Caravanserai in nearby Payas,
22 km (14 miles) to the north, and
its neighboring Fortress of the
Genies (Cin Kalesi) are
worth a look.
Otherwise you're probably on your
way to or from Antakya (Antioch)
and its famous Roman mosaics and cave-church
of St. Peter. Bus is
the best way to go.
I've written about my adventures in
Iskenderun and the province of Hatay
in two excerpts from my travel memoir Bright
Sun, Strong Tea entitled What's
in a Name? and The
Bile Green Color Wasn't the Worst of
It.
Distances & Travel Times
Adana: 130
km (81 miles) SE, 2 hours
Antakya: 58
km (36 miles) S, 1 hour
Gaziantep: 152
km (94 miles) NE, 3 hours
Maps
of Mediterranean Turkey
Mediterranean
Coast
Southeast Turkey
Where
to Go
Turkey
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